


Beanies

by Musical_Noel



Category: The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals - Team StarKid
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Carnival, Emma is shipping hard, F/M, Fluff, Henry is a Little Shit, M/M, Ted is pinning hard, apparently this is like ten thousand words, idk how that happened, tedgens
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-23
Updated: 2019-04-23
Packaged: 2020-01-24 06:44:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18566077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Musical_Noel/pseuds/Musical_Noel
Summary: Ted sees Henry and he can't get him out of his head. Emma knows Henry is lonely, and she knows Ted is lonely, they're, like, perfect for each other.





	Beanies

**Author's Note:**

> Before you say anything, yes I made Ted's last name Porker, yes you can shut up about it, I don't care.

Ted stared down at the lid of his coffee cup, tired enough to order the black liquid instead of getting his regular chai iced tea, but not awake enough to lift the stupid cup to his mouth. He tried so hard to stay awake, but it was a futile attempt, there was no way he was going to make it through the rest of this day unless he takes a nap. Maybe he could sneak one at work, it’s not like he really does his job anyway, that’s what the interns are there for. And he has that big meeting later today, sighing, he hit his head against the table but didn’t have enough energy to lift it and do it again.

“Rough day already? It’s only seven in the morning, y’know,” Emma said from above Ted. Usually, he would stare said person down and reply with a sarcastic comment, but he just groaned in return. “The coffee only works when you drink it.”

“Yeah, I know,” replied Ted, with the little energy he mustered up.

“Wow, are you okay, I mean I was really expecting a snarky response but now you’re just worrying me. Come on, what’s up? Talk, get it out of your system.” He heard the chair across from him move signaling that she sat down.

“Don’t you have a job to do?” He asked, picking his head. Emma just motioned around her at the empty café, making her point. “Fine, if you’re really that interested in my life, it’s because I have a lot of stressful things going on, happy?” He punctuated his sentence with a long gulp of the hot coffee.

“What kind of stress-“ her sentence was cut off by the ringing of the doorbell and a person walking in. She disappeared out of Ted peripherals as he took another long swig, the five-hour energy that he took when his alarm went off finally starting to kick in.

“Hi, can I get a chai iced tea, large?” Ted snorted quietly and looked over his shoulder because that’s what he usually gets to drink, and when he did, his breath caught in his throat.

“Sure thing, Professor Hidgens, that’ll be right up,” Emma said with a smile, but Ted only registered that fact that he came here enough for her to know his name. He quickly snapped his head back, well as fast as his sleep-deprived body would allow him to when the man walked his way over to the pick-up counter. His drink was up in no time because there were no others for her to attend to, and after fixing it and grabbing a straw, he left, with no clue that Ted was watching his every move.

“Okay, now you’ve really got to tell me because I just figured you were having woman problems and my advice to you would have been ‘find a single lady’ to where you would have replied with something along the lines of ‘fuck off’, but you were literally checking Hidgens’ ass out like it was your job so explain yourself,” Emma ranted, returning to her former seat. Ted didn’t even have the mind to deny anything she just said because he was still so focused on the man.

“I – uh – no – not woman problems,”

“Well, at least now you’re awake,”

“I was up all night because of work.” Ted paused looking down at his coffee cup before he lost himself, “You know I don’t even like my job, I barely know what is going on half the time, but apparently I’m good at it. I only stay because it pays good, but if I had the choice, I’d be on the first train out of this place.”

“Wow, that’s deep Ted, not something I’d expect from you,” Ted just rolled his eyes and stood up.

“I’m leaving before I’m late for work, thanks for nothing Emma,”

“Oh, wait.” She stood up and rushed behind the counter, coming out holding a cup of coffee. “Give this to Paul, please,”

“Yeah, whatever,” he snatched the coffee out of her hand and walked out of the door angrily, not looking forward to this day.

When he got in the car, he put both the coffees in the cup holder next to him then rested his head on the steering wheel.

“This day is going to be hell,” he whispered to himself before starting the car. When he started driving, his brain started wandering, mostly to who that man was.

Ted was never one to be shy about who he likes. If he wants someone, he’s going to shoot his shot no matter what their personal life is. If they turn him down, so be it, he’ll just move on to the next person. And he definitely wasn’t shy about what he likes, though yes, it’s mainly girls, he’s had a guy or so in the past. But something was different about that guy – Professor Hidgens, Emma said – in there. Something about him Ted just couldn’t get out of his head. Throughout his whole meeting, the one he lost a full night of sleep over, he was barely aware of what he was saying, but apparently, he did a good job. Or maybe they were just pitying him.

When work was done, Ted didn’t go home, he stopped at the coffee shop again. He’s not quite sure why, but he wasn’t aware of it until the bell signaled that he was walking through the door. Emma wasn’t working, which was good because he didn’t think he could take any more of her pestering, it was just the other girl, the annoying one.

When Ted walked to the pick-up counter, however, sitting at the table he was at this morning, was a head full of unmistakable grey hair. He kind of felt creepy just watching him, but somewhere deep in his consciousness Ted knew he had come here hoping to find him. Ted wanted to walk up to him, to start a conversation, that’s what he does, starts conversations with a pickup line and continues it from there to get the girl, or guy, in his bed. But the way the man had his head hidden in the book laying in front of him told Ted that it won’t be that easy, and well, Ted likes a challenge.

So instead, he grabbed his tea and left. Going home, he didn’t even fight the fact that he couldn’t get the professor out of his head. Maybe the professor saw him and is having the same problem, or maybe the guy wasn’t even interested in guys. That didn’t sit well with Ted, why would the universe make him want the guy so badly and then not have him be interested back.

In the morning, Ted woke up early again and headed to the coffee shop, this time with more sleep.

“Okay, seriously, what’s wrong with you?” Emma said when the bell signaled his arrival. “Usually you come running in here at seven fifty for your tea and run out because you’re running late. But now two days in a row, you’ve come in here at seven, yesterday in an expected mood, but today you seem much more cheerful.” She placed my large chai tea on the counter and Ted handed her the exact money needed.

“Well, I did good in that meeting that I was stressing over, didn’t lose my job.” He grabbed a straw and started drinking, she took this as her opportunity to speak.

“Still thinking about Professor Hidgens?”

“Why do you call him Professor? Is he like a teacher?”

“Yeah, my biology teacher at the college.”

“Wait, if you’re still in college, don’t you think Paul is a little too old for you,” Ted joked.

“How old do you think I am?”

“My first thought would be a seven-year-old boy,”

“Ha, ha, ha, very funny.”

“So he’s like smart?” He asked, trying to be subtle but there was no good way to go about it. She just eyed him before answering.

“He’s a college teacher, so yes smart, and people say he’s been working on a project for the past, like thirty years of his life, since he got out of college himself. And really, it’s worked out for him. During his research on whatever he’s working on, he’s uncovered other scientific breakthroughs, and because of it, he’s rich, like hella rich. You know that big house at the edge of the town, the real big one?”

“How could I not know about the castle? When I was a teen me and my friends used to tell stories about the guy who lives in it because nobody ever saw him leave. It was a mystery,”

“Well, now you know,” as if on cue, the bell rang.

“Speak of the devil and he shall show,” Ted whispered, staying where he was but taking another sip of his drink.

“Shut up,” Emma said while walking over to take his order.

After he ordered, he walked around Ted to the other side of the pick-up counter. Ted gave him a small smile and a nod like he was just saying hello considering they were the only two people in the entire coffee house. It won’t start getting crowded until around eight when people like Ted come in, late for work and demanding their coffee. The annoying girl starts working at seven forty-five, or around, Ted would guess, because she’s not here now, but she is when he’s usually here. At Ted's nod, the professor blushed and looked down, like his fingernails were more interesting than anything else, but Ted saw the redness on his usually pale face before he looked away, and he hid his smile behind the straw of his drink.

“There you go, one large chai iced tea. You both got the same drink, what a coincidence,” Emma said, before briskly walking away with a wink. Ted just rolled his eyes.

“I have to get going,” Hidgens said before practically running out the door.

“I think you scared him,” Ted sighed, watching him walk down the street through the windows.

“I was dying watching you two, I thought you had game, Ted. What was that, a nod?”

“Well I don’t even know his name,” Ted argued.

“That has never stopped you before,” Emma slapped him with the dish towel she was holding. “And his name is Henry,”

“He just doesn’t look like the kind of person I could just flirt with, he’s different,” Ted got a dreamy look in his eyes.

“Yes, you are correct, he is not the kind of person you can just flirt with, which is why I, someone who knows him, started the conversation for you. You just had to take the starter and run with it, but ya blew it. Great job.”

“Well, when was I supposed to continue the conversation, between you scaring him or him running away. Why do you want us to be together so badly anyway? You know me, and he’s your teacher, shouldn’t you be steering me away from him?”

“I know how much of a complete asshole you are, yes, but I also know lonely you are, and how desperate you need a serious relationship,” Ted went to interrupt her, correct her, but she just kept talking. “And I know how lonely he is. You guys just seem to be the perfect dysfunctional match,”

“Wow, you flatter me so,” Ted said dryly.

“Haha, I hope not,” Paul walked in. The two at the counter just stared at him as he continued to fake laugh awkwardly. “No? Okay,” He walked over to the counter as Emma handed him his pre-made drink. “Who are we talking about?”

“My biology professor that Ted totally wants to bone,”

“Okay that’s enough of you,” Ted cut her off before she could continue.

“Wait, Ted, you’re,” Paul paused, thinking about it for a second. “Actually, that doesn’t surprise me, but why didn’t you ever say anything?”

“It doesn’t really come up naturally in conversations, plus I don’t like any of you people enough to really care if you know or not,”

“That’s fair, I guess. But Professor Hidgens, really?”

“Yeah, whatever, things happen, okay? I’m not going to defend myself to you,” Ted walked over to a close table and pulled his phone out while Emma and Paul talked it out.

 _Professor Henry Hidgen_ , Ted typed into google, hoping to find out more about this man, but what came up was useless. He lives in Hatchetfield, he has been working on his breakthrough and has discovered many things along the way. They point out what those things are, but not about what the project he’s working on actually is. He is a professor at the college and makes mega-bank, but not much else.

 _This isn’t going to get me anywhere,_ Ted thought, rubbing his face then standing up.

“I’m going to work, Paul I'll see you there. Emma,” He threw up a peace sign and left.

All the way to work and while he was there, he just kept thinking about ways to start a conversation with the man without scaring him and getting him to somehow open up. Ted had a sneaking suspicion that once he reached that breaking point, it would be free sailing from there.

He was standing in the break room, mindlessly pouring coffee into his mug, when he came up with the perfect idea to test the waters.

“Ted,” a shaky voice asked from behind him. It broke him out of his trance and he turned around to face Charlotte.

“What,”

“I was thinking about your proposal, and I’d like to take you up on it.” She didn’t make eye contact, looking down at her hands, a tick that annoyed Ted. If you’re gonna do something wrong, at least own up to it.

“Why,”

“Well, it just, my husband, Sam, hasn’t been coming home a lot lately, and I’ve been quite lonely. I don’t want to be lonely. Something is better than nothing.” She explained. Ted just stood there staring at her. Old Ted wouldn’t have let this opportunity go, he would have taken her right here just last week, but now? Something is stopping him in his place, and somehow, he’s okay with it.

“No,” He said, still a little unsure.

“W-what,”

“No,” he said more confidently, standing up straight.

“O-okay,” She turned around and walked out, whispering to herself.

When the room was empty, Ted yelled at himself.

“What is wrong with me? She was so vulnerable, ready for the taking, why did I turn her down? Stupid professor and his stupid cute smile and blush and amazing ass.”

“I’ll come back later,” Paul said from the doorway.

“What, no Paul,” Ted ran to the door and grabbed him by the arm before he could walk away. He pulled the awkward man back into the room and shut the door. “Help me, I’m going insane.”

“What? Help you, Ted you’re better at this than me, you flirt all the time, even if they only last for one night or are never going to be serious.”

“Exactly, I don’t know what a serious relationship is. I’m not good at them, girls don’t think I’m ‘meet the family material.” He used quotations to emphasize his point.

“Then it’s a good thing he’s not a girl,” Paul had poured his coffee while Ted was freaking out, and so after he felt like he made his point, he left, _probably escaping the conversation_.

 _Right,_ Ted thought back to his earlier plan he had before Charlotte walked in and decided to put it into motion. He has game, he can get the guy. He’s Ted Porker (a/n: sorry not sorry), goddammit.

And so the next day, Ted was walking into the coffee shop with the tightest pants he owned like it was his bitch.

“Jesus, Ted, any tighter and I’d think you’d be full on girl.” Emma snorted when he walked into Beanies.

“The show's not for you Perkins,” Ted walked up to the counter.

“Well, I figured that,” She placed the drink on the counter, knowing already what he wanted.

“Make it two today Emma,” She just stared at him, seemingly confused. “I’m feeling brave and confident right now so make it two before this runs out,” She just shook her head before handing him the other premade drink and took the money from him, handing back his change.

“So, are you actually going to do it today, make a breakthrough, or are you just going to sit there and look pretty because if it’s the latter, I’d say it’s not going to work.”

* * *

 

 _So close,_ Henry thought walking down the sidewalk, _I’m so close to a solution, I just need to make this quick and get back to work. No distractions, in and out._ He opened the door and walked up to the counter, handing her money for the drink she already had out for him.

“Not today professor,” she said, refusing the exact change he had.

“Emma, we’ve gone over this, I’m not letting you pay for the drink,” Henry said, getting a little more anxious. He had to get home, he couldn’t let this escape through his fingers again.

“I’m not the one who paid,” She pointed over to the pick-up counter where stood the handsome man from yesterday wearing remarkably tight pants. _No distractions._ He had his back to Henry and leaned over the counter, ass out, on his phone like he didn’t realize Henry was there. But Henry had a Ph.D., good God, he’s not stupid. He nodded at Emma before making his way over.

_Some Distractions._

“Thanks for the drink,” He said, hoping that the other man wasn’t trying to make a fool out of him.

“Anytime,” the other man said. “You always seem like you’re in a mad rush,”

“Emma always has the drink ready for me,” _Idiot_ , he thought after the words left his mouth. _The man was just trying to be nice,_ _why couldn’t you have said thank you and walked away like every other normal person_. “I’m Professor Henry Hidgens,” He said trying to ignore his last statement.

“Ted,” He took Henry’s outstretched hand and shook it, and in the back of his mind, it felt like he lingered a little bit. “So a professor, huh? Impressive, that’s like what, ten years of college, and hundreds of years in debt.”

“Not when you’re good at your job,” Henry chuckled. The silence lingered after they finished fake laughing at Henry's poor excuse for a joke. “I – uh – have to get back to my lab, close to finding a solution.”

“Oh, wow, what are you working on?” Ted asked, trying to keep the conversation going.

“Not important.”

“Okay, well-“

“Maybe I’ll see you tomorrow,” Henry said before walking out of the coffee shop.

 _Why did I just leave like that?_  
_Because you’re close to a breakthrough._  
_No, I’m not, I’m as close as I was thirty years ago._  
_No Distractions._  
_But, his ass, did you see his ass,_  
_Yes, you were staring._

* * *

 

“Was he staring, did he stare?” Ted jumped when Hidgens was out of sight.

“You sound like a fucking school girl,” Emma said pretending to be disinterested, but then broke, “Yes, his eyes were locked to your ass. I think he was disappointed when you turned around.”

“Hey, my face is just as good as my ass,”

“Right. So what are you going to do now? You can’t just keep wearing tight pants, you have to make a move.”

“I was about to, but he ran out. There’s a new movie out, I was going to ask him to go with me.”

“If you’re going to take him to the movies, take him to see a Sci-Fi, he loves those.” That’s not really Ted’s thing but this isn’t about him. Well it is a little, he kind of really wants that Hidgens, but he’s actually trying. Ted’s not just using his pure sex of a body, that was just to make sure that he was right about the guy wanting him. 

“I don’t know much about sci-fi, like, I go to see the movies so I can relate to the conversations that will happen, but most the time, I’m confused. I miss things that I guess are in the comics, but really, who reads those?”

“People like Professor Hidgens.”

“Right,”

“Trust me, once one of the kids in my class said something I guess was wrong, and he went on an hour-long tangent, taking up the rest of the class time. It would have been fine had mid-terms not been coming up.”

“Okay, sci-fi movie, but don’t get him talking,”

“No, do get him talking, and act like you’re interested.”

“Alright, this is all very confusing. How do people do this constantly without going insane?” Ted groaned.

“They have actual feelings, Ted,” She smiled.

“Low blow, Perkins.” Ted shook his cup of pretty much ice now and slurped the remaining drops in the bottom loudly and annoyingly, just because he knows how much Emma hates it. Deciding he was done, he threw it out on his way to the door and threw up a peace sign before the signal of the bell punctuated his leave.

And so, the next day, he’s walking into the coffee shop, pants just as tight, with knowledge of movie times. He was up for too long last night looking up movie times of the best sci-fi movie out in theaters, hoping that he hasn’t seen all of them. If Hidgens really is as big of a nerd as Emma says, Ted was afraid he’d go out on the first day they’d release. What Ted was really hoping for was that he was so anti-people that he's waiting for it to come out on DVD or something like that.

“Today is the day, Perkins, the day of a new age. I’m changing my ways for the better and I’m only a little scared and a lot lost,” Ted said, walking in confidently. He walked straight up to the counter and put the change on it before looking at Emma who had a look on her face, but Ted didn’t know what it meant. “What?”

She nodded her head over to the other side of the counter where stood Hidgens.

“Fuck,” he took the drink out of Emma’s hand and walked over to the other man. The gray-haired beauty wasn’t looking at him, but he knew that he heard and saw everything, and Ted was going to do his best to make him forget about it. “You’re here earlier than usual,” Ted gave a charming smile.

“Am I, I wasn’t really keeping track,” _God Ted, you fucking stalker._

“I – uh,” he coughed awkwardly, “I was wondering if you’d like to go see a movie with me? This Friday?” _This is it Ted, the moment of truth._

“No.” _Fuck, what?_

“Oh, okay then,” Ted started to walk away, but Hidgens caught him by the arm before he could even resort to his defense mechanism.

“But I would like to go Saturday morning,” Well fuck, it’s a good thing Ted didn’t buy the tickets already.

“What? Yeah, totally,” Ted was ecstatic. He started his day by making a complete fucking idiot out of himself, but then it’s like it didn’t even happen and he’s got a date that he’s looking forward to, and not the ‘I better fucking get laid after this because this girl is so fucking annoying’ excited either. He’s actually looking forward to spending time with this man and this man actually likes him back.

Also, he definitely wasn’t expecting it to be this easy either. Hidgens was a biology professor and a good one too, why would he want a sleazeball like Ted? But he doesn’t care, if this professor wants him, he’s gonna take it a run with it. Ted is not going to let this opportunity slip out of his fingers. He doesn’t think that he’ll ever feel like this again, the want to actually be with somebody, like a long term relationship.

They’ve always scared Ted, he doesn’t want that commitment, and plus, he of all people knows how easy it is to turn somebody into a cheater, and he hates the feeling of being cheated on. Sure, it’s different with people like Charlotte where her husband deserves to be cheated on, and in drunken nights where you don’t even ask for the persons' name. However, people like Sam? The people who cheat first because they can? Ted’s got lines, and though he likes to make people think he doesn’t care if the person has a significant other, he really does, and when he asks them about their partner, and they don’t seem to happy, then Ted swoops in and is the hero, well for one night.

And it’s been such a long time since he’s had a serious relationship, well serious on his end, not hers. He hates what she did to him, which is partially why he is the way he is today.

But that doesn’t matter anymore. What matters is the beautiful man in front of him putting his phone number into Ted’s phone.

“I’ll see you there,” Hidgens said before leaving the shop with one last look over his shoulder.

“This is officially the best day of my life,” Ted said. He could barely hold himself up, he was running off of nervous energy, and now that it’s starting to disperse because everything turned out great, he feels completely weak. “I’ve got a date with a hot, smart man. I cannot believe this.”

“You do anything to hurt him I will literally come to your house and murder you,” Emma said trying to scare Ted, but he was too happy to be brought down by her empty threats.

“Whatever, I don’t care.”

“I’m serious Ted, I know how you can get. Paul told me that literally last week you asked Charlotte out. Professor Hidgens is not a people person, that’s why he became a biology major, okay? If you hurt him, he probably won’t recover.”

“I think you’re judging him to fast,” Ted couldn’t wipe the smile off his face.

“Dude, he’s literally my teacher,”

“So, he could be the complete opposite of who you think you know. Maybe he actually has a musical theater passion and is in community theaters.”

“Yeah, okay Ted,”

* * *

 

Saturday rolled around, but Ted was so nervous last night that he got so little sleep, he’s hoping that it’s an action movie to keep him awake. He feels bad, though, this was his idea and if he falls asleep, how will that make Hidgens feel. He doesn’t want to hurt the guys' feelings, plus, he doesn’t want to miss a second of that blush. Maybe Ted could get him all sorts of flustered so that blush never goes away.

He found himself standing nervously in front of the small theater in the center of town looking at everybody that passes him for that slick gray hair.

_He’s probably just going to blow me off, I knew it was too good to be true, there’s no way he would ever be interested in someone like me. Maybe I should just stick to screwing around with people and die alone like I was supposed to._

“Sorry, I’m late, I hope you didn’t have to wait too long. I forgot where the theater was and kind of got lost.” He chuckled nervously, picking with his hands.

“That’s fine,” It wasn’t, Ted was really scared he got ghosted, “I wasn’t here that long. Come on, let’s go inside, I’ve already bought the tickets.”

“What? You bought the tickets? How am I supposed to pay you back if you keep paying for everything?” Hidgens looked distressed, but Ted didn’t care.

“Maybe you could pay for it next time,” Ted said, subtly dropping hints.

“Or I could pay for the food,” He said walking inside leaving Ted in the dust.

“Or you could do that,” Ted followed him inside to the snack stand. Hidgens and Ted stood in the almost empty line. The good thing about Saturday mornings at nine is that it’s there’s barely anyone in the place. Ted has a slight suspicion that Hidgens knew that it would be like this, but Ted didn’t care how many people are around, only that Hidgens is there. 

God, Ted wants to vomit, that was so corny.

He told Hidgens what he wanted and watched as he paid for it. They got a large popcorn and soda to share, because movie theater shit is expensive, and Hidgens insisted that he get some candy because ‘We’re sharing this so I want to buy you something.’ Ted complied, getting Sour Patch Kids, but not after arguing that Hidgens’ argument was stupid, he was being stupid and it didn’t matter to Ted. Apperatantly it mattered to Henry.

After they got their food and drinks, the walked over to the ticket lady and Ted handed both to her. She tore them and pointed the boys in the direction of the theater they were in. Ted still hasn’t told Hidgens what movie they were seeing, so when they walked up to the theater and Hidgens read the name, instant joy took over his face.

“This movie? We're seeing this? Good God, I thought I was going to have to wait for it to release on my amazon stick because I had no intentions to come out and see it.” Hidgens ranted as they walked into the barren theater.

“Did I do good?” Ted asked.

“You did great,” They found their seats, in the back corner because Ted was starting to figure this man out, and sat down. The theater slowly started to fill, but it didn’t get too crowded, nobody even sat down near them, which was good because Hidgens hasn’t shut up about this movie or the lure behind it, good for Ted because maybe now he’ll understand what’s happening.

Surprisingly, Ted was actually listening and paying attention to everything he’s saying, which is new for Ted. Usually, when people talk and it doesn’t apply to him, he completely tunes the person out, but he found himself entranced.

The light in Hidgens’ eyes as he spoke about everything woke Ted up. He was shocked at how little Ted knew about the universe and spent the previews explaining everything that Ted has missed, which was a lot. He’s seen the movies, and together they made sense, but he never realized how much he’s missed by not reading the comics or reading up on theories. Luckily, he had Henry here to explain it to him.

And explain he did.

Ted kept asking questions, and Hidgens was happy to answer, even when Ted didn’t ask, Hidgens explained every little Easter egg and how it connected to the other movies. And of course it wouldn’t be a movie if Ted didn’t crack jokes about how something didn’t make sense, like why don’t they just communicate, then all of their problems would be solved, but he didn’t make many jokes.

At one point, Ted wasn’t even watching the movie, but the man sitting next to him, whose eyes never came off the screen, it gave time for Ted to really digest the situation.

Ted stared at his artic grey eyes, how they reflected every emotion he was feeling. His cleanly-shaven face and neat glossy hair, each one in a specific place like he had taken hours to do his hair. Ted stared at how his mouth was always slightly ajar and at the slight pull of his lips upward towards his eyes as he watches the movie. He recognizes how he has wrinkles over his nose because he’s always furrowing his eyebrows trying to figure something out. He likes how long his slender fingers are, but hates that the nails are bit down to the skin, ready to bleed at any moment. He likes how he uses his hands to articulate everything that comes out of his mouth. He likes his smell, almost like a hospital from the eighties. Henry smelled clean, like disinfectant or peroxide, but still had the lingering smell of cigarettes on him, telling Ted he should break him of that habit. He likes how so far, he has worn the exact same outfit, and he wants to get to know the soft skin that lies underneath it.

It scared Ted how this man could turn his legs to jelly, but at the same time, he was addicted to the feeling.

Almost too soon, the movie ended. Ted stood up to clean the popcorn he had on his lap from when he missed his mouth and was getting ready to leave when Hidgens pulled him back down, almost on to his lap, whispering something about the end credit scene. Ted was confused, but to distracted about his position to do anything else.

It felt right like they were puzzle pieces meant to fit together, and Ted didn’t even watch the scene, he just stared at where his body was touching Henry’s. When the scene finished, though, Henry blushed at the position that he put them both in.

“Sorry,” he coughed and snapped Ted out of his trance. He stood up but acted like it didn’t bother him at all. Because that’s who Ted was, calm, collected, and cool at every moment of time.

“That’s fine, I mean it’s usually a buy would buy me a drink first, but,” he trailed off. Hidgens just stared at him, his blush getting redder before snorting and walking past Ted to the exit, their drink in hand. “Well, now that it’s twelve O’clock, how about lunch?” Ted suggested.

“How about Beanies?” Hidgens suggested.

“Nah, Perkins is too nosey, she won’t leave us alone,” Ted said mindlessly.

“Alone about what,” Ted looked over at Hidgens like he should know, but the other man just looked confused. “Fine then, how about a diner?”

“Sounds fabulous.”

They walked into a small little fifties themed dinner and were seated in the back corner booth, luckily for the both of them. Hidgens because it’s clear he doesn’t like the attention, and Ted because he is going to fluster the shit out of Hidgens with smart ass comments and sexual innuendoes. It’s what Ted does best, and as he said, he doesn’t want that cute blush to ever fade from his cheeks.

Really it was a poor excuse for a booth like it was only added so they could fill empty space and have more customers, but it worked out in Ted’s advantage, they pretty much had to sit on top of each other. Well not really, but it seemed like a good enough excuse if Hidgens asked.

“So, what are you going to get Professor?” Ted asked, still looking at the menu.

“Henry,” Ted’s head up and he stared at the man almost across from him.

“Bless you?”

“No,” he laughed, “You keep calling me Hidgens and Professor, probably because of Emma, but you can call me Henry.”

“Oh, okay then Henry,” Ted thought he saw chills run down Henry’s back, but he just smiled and looked back down at the menu with a smile on his face.

“I’m not that hungry, to answer your question.”

“We could just split something, like the appetizer sampler.”

“That sounds great.” It wasn’t long until the waitress came back over with their drinks and they could order.

“And what would the lovely couple like to eat,”

“No, we’re-“

“We’re just going to split the appetizer sampler,” Ted gave the waitress as sweet smile, shutting Henry up with the order. She wrote it down and walked away, instantly Ted was hit on the shoulder.

“What was that?” Henry asked.

“Come on Prof, maybe she’ll give me a couples discount.” Ted loved the blush on Henry’s face.

“You? I’m getting the bill,”

“Uh, no. This whole date was my idea, I’m paying for the food.”

“Date? No, I make way more money than you,”

“Is that a competition?”

“I live in a literal castle.”

“Fair point, but I took you out, I’m paying. You already paid for the snacks.”

“But-,”

“You can foot the bill next time,”

“Fine, I will.”

They sat in stubborn silence, both staring each other down with flirtatious smirks on their face. Soon they broke and filled the air with casual conversation, Ted inserting his stupid comments where ever he could.

It was nice, Ted thought, how comfortable Henry became and how easy their conversation flowed. They talked about a lot of unimportant things and Ted finally realized how people kept together with their serious relationships. He forgot how good it felt to have someone to himself, and he’s not even dating Henry yet, but he really hopes it gets there.

When the waitress set the check down on the table, Ted snatched it up and pulled out his wallet, heading to the counter before Henry even got the chance to argue with him.

“Low blow, Ted,” Henry said when they got outside. Ted just laughed and kept walking.

“I don’t care, Henry, I was serious when I said I was paying the bill.” Here’s where it got awkward. They reached Hidgen’s car and had to say their goodbye’s but Ted didn’t want to let him go. He knew that he would probably see Henry on Monday in the coffee shop, and the other man definitely wasn’t going to let Ted go without paying for a date himself, but he doesn’t know how to say goodbye.

“Let me take you home,” Henry said after a second. “It’s the least you could let me do, you never know what might happen, maybe a meteor might strike down on the Starlight Theater and turn the entire town into mindless monsters, I’d want to know you were safe.”

“Okay,” How was Ted supposed to say no to that, whatever that was. He hopped into the passenger side and gave Henry directions, hoping that he won’t judge him for his dingy little apartment. It was cheap and good enough for him, not like he really needed a lot, though he could afford better.

“Thank you for this,” Henry said when he parked.

“Anytime,” Ted replied, just staring at him.

“No really, I don’t really get out much because I’m so obsessed with finding the cure that I forgot what it felt like just to relax.”

“The cure for what?” Henry paused for a second.

“Nothing,”

“Okay. Well, it was nothing really. In fact, if you’d like to relax some more, I’m free on Wednesday.”

“Yeah, that would be great,” Henry said. Ted got out of the car and went to close the door when Henry stopped him. “I’m paying though.”

“We’ll see about that.” Ted shut the door and headed to his door, giving one last wave before walking inside.

* * *

 

He walked into the coffee shop fixing his tie, he’d tied it to tight this morning, when he was instantly attacked.

“This is yours.” Henry handed him his coffee, shocking Ted because he didn’t seem like the kind to make first moves, but he wasn’t complaining, he liked this side of Henry.

“Why thank you.” Ted walked over to his table and placed the drink down on it before fiddling with his tie some more, trying to get it to stop strangling him.

“Do you need help?” Henry asked. Ted was confused for a second before he realized that he was talking about his tie. He would have turned him down if he wasn’t struggling so hard.

“Please,” Henry placed his drink carefully down next to Teds on the table, before reaching his shaking hands up and moving Teds’ out of the way. There was pure concentration on his face as he fiddled with the piece of cloth around Ted’s neck, one pull away from strangling him. From this angle, Ted could see their height difference. It wasn’t a big one, but it was enough that Henry could easily place a kiss on Ted's forehead and right now it was enough that he had to stare down past Ted's face and Ted was breathing his air. He still smelled like cigarettes and usually Ted would hate that, but it’s just something about him that makes it okay. It wasn’t too long before the tie was loosened and tied correctly before they just stood there staring in each other’s eyes. Ted would be lying if he didn’t say that he glanced down at Henry’s lips, well not down, kind of eye level, but he wasn’t sure if he imagined Henry leaning in also, maybe a spur of the moment kind of thing.

“Get a room,” Emma said. The two jumped away from each other, and Ted was happy that Henry fixed his tie because if it were as tight as he had it before, he might have actually died of lack of oxygen, it was so hard to breathe right now. He glanced over at Henry to see him in the same way, breath gone and tomatoes under his usually pale cheeks.

“We had one, then you barged in,” Ted said sarcastically, casting a glance over at Henry and taking a sip of his drink. 

* * *

 

“So how was the date?” Emma asked as Henry walked into the door.

“How did you know?” Henry asked, handing her the money needed for his drink.

“That’s not enough,”

“What, yes it is,”

“No, for two chai iced teas,” Emma said, placing two on the counter.

“But I’m only going to drink one.”

“Professor, take the hint and buy the poor lonely man a drink,” Emma said, pushing the two drinks towards him along with a pamphlet, “And take him here and make a fucking move. You’re both pathetic.”

“What the fuck is this,” He whispered under his breath, handing her the extra money, grabbing both drinks and the pamphlet. It was an advertisement for a traveling fair coming to town for the weekend. _Great, more people_ , Henry thought. “Why are you doing this?”

“Because, Professor, you desperately need this. And so does he. That man is a literal piece of shit,” Henry looked at her questingly why she would set them up, but she kept talking. “But I think you would both be better for each other. Plus I already bought the tickets, but Paul planned something way better, so now I have two free tickets and two desperate friends. It’s like simple math.”

Ted walked in right after she said that, not giving him any chance to answer her. He rushed over to Ted and handed him his drink, basking in the confused look on his face. He was fiddling with his tie, and no matter how cute Henry thought he looked, it also was slowly turning his face blue, so he offered to help.

A mistake on his part.

His hands were shaking he was so nervous, and he hoped that Ted didn’t see them. Henry soon lost his concentration in actually tying the tie right as to not strangle him anymore. He’s good at tying ties, he’s a man, a manly man, who just so happens to like this hopeless piece of shit in front of him. In fact, he likes him so much, that he took extra time tying his tie just so he could be close. Henry wasn’t even paying attention to what he was doing, but more to the closeness of their bodies to each other. How Ted was ever so slightly shorter and how ridiculous his mustache looked from the above point of view, but he still found it slightly endearing and adorable. How Ted leaned into him ever so slightly when Henry’s hands stopped moving. How when Henry did finally look up, He saw Ted’s beautiful eyes sparkle and him lick his lips in anticipation. How Henry purposely leaned in like he was going to kiss him, but instead left him standing there practically with blue balls, but he was still able to compose himself enough to drop another stupid innuendo.

“So, Ted, Wednesday?” Henry asked.

“Right, yeah I’ve got nothing and since you’re paying?” Henry held the pamphlet up in front of Ted's face and chuckled at the gasp of excitement that left the younger man’s mouth. He instantly was flipping through the pages, almost dropping the two tickets Henry didn’t know were hidden inside, and practically jumping up and down with excitement. “Yes, yes,”

“Did I do good?” Henry mirrored Ted’s question from Saturday.

“Good? You did fucking amazing, I could kiss you now,” But he didn’t, he just kept reading the pamphlet and what Wednesday had in store.

* * *

 

“Look at it, it’s so bright and colorful and fun. These things never come to this stupid island.” Ted looked like a kid in a candy shop told to go wild, and Henry loved it.

“Well, actually it does come here every year, I always get an advertisement on my gate, but I usually ignore it because I have no interest to leave the house. Or had,” Henry said, blushing at the last bit.

“I’ve never gotten one, probably because I live on the ‘bad side’ of town in an apartment, they don’t want the slums here, well sucks for them,” Ted raised his middle finger up to the sky.

“Or you’ve just ignored it,” Henry handed the two tickets to the bored looking woman, who ripped the stubs and handed them back, moving them along.

“Yeah, that’s possible,” Ted said. Once they were in the entrance, they just stood there looking around. Kids were running from ride to ride, ready for the next shot of adrenaline. There were food stands, a roller coaster, a tall fucking Ferris wheel, a merry go round, games that steal your money, the classics, and Ted fucking loved it. “Okay, since it’s still light out, I say we start at the small rides; the fun slide, the music express, the pirate ship, then we’ll get dinner, play some games, then once the kids leave we go on the more crowded rides, like the roller coaster, which looks lame by the way, bumper cars, so I can kick ass, merry go round and Ferris wheel, because you seem like the romantic type, and at some point I’m going to win that fucking unicorn,” He walked over to the stand, getting distracted. “If that’s okay with you of course,” He looked back at Henry after making googly eyes at the giant pink unicorn.

“That sounds great,” He summoned up nonexistent courage and walked over to grab Ted’s hand. The shorter man stopped for a second and Henry’s heart skipped a beat that he would be rejected, but he didn’t.

Ted squeezed his hand because damn it, Ted's whole goal is to get with this man. He was not going to let it up, he loves how bold Henry actually is. He laced their fingers together and pulled Henry over to the first ride.

“What the fuck is this?” Henry asked as they walked up to it.

“It’s the fun slide, did you even listen to what I said?”

“It’s just a regular slide, but three times the size,”

“That’s the fun part.” The got in line and waited. Henry felt a little out of place, he looked like he was the oldest one there, minus the grandparents taking their kids, but they just sat on the benches and waited. He was actually riding the rides.

He felt a squeeze on his hand and looked over to the smiling man child next to him. Ted had a soft smile on his face like he could read Henry’s mind or something, and it grounded him. When they climbed the steps all the way to the top, they grabbed a large rug and sat down on it, Henry in the back because he’s the taller one.

Ted was conflicted to whether he should point out that the height difference wasn’t that big of a deal; except it was because Ted was used to being the taller one in the relationship, it’s nice to be the shorter one for once; or if he should make a sexual innuendo about sex positions. He chose the former, for Henry’s sake.

“Only by a few inches,” Ted mumbled and he seated himself between Henry’s legs. It was distracting to have Teds back pressed right up against him, and if Ted noticed, he was having too much fun pretending he was Aladdin on the magic carpet to share. They reached the bottom in no time and when Ted stood up to fast, he fell right back down onto Henry in a giggling mess.

Finally, they composed themselves and moved onto the next ride.

“You have sex hair,” Ted said.

“What?” Henry struggled to get the word past his mouth.

“Because of the wind, here let me help you,” Ted turned towards Henry and ran his fingers through his hair, laying it back in his side part over his forehead. He then ruffled his own wind ridden hair and flipped it back into place. It shows the difference between the two. Henry spends a long time in the bathroom each morning making sure his hair looks full and vibrant despite the grey, whereas Ted probably runs a comb through his hair while running out the door.

Ted then grabbed his hand and pulled Henry towards the next ride, like that didn’t just happen.

They spent the next hour going through the not so popular rides, waiting for the crowd to die down a little, not that there was one really, it might be the opening day of a five-day thing, but it still was a Wednesday in September. Not only was it cold, but people had lives the next day. Lucky for Ted, he didn’t care about his, he’s shown up to work after a night full of drinking with a mad hangover before, and he still has a job, and Henry is a hermit or was one.

They stopped and got crappy pizza and fries for dinner at an extreme price, both buying their own since they are so stubborn, but Ted would be lying if he didn’t say he stole some of Henry's fries. Soon, it was getting darker, and the lights on the rides were turning on. Ted thought this would be the perfect time for the haunted house, Henry did not.

“Why didn’t we go here first?” Henry was being dragged along, and he was no stopping now.

“Because, it’s not as fun when you can see the light at the end of the tunnel, the emersion is like half the fun.”

“You can’t divide by zero,” Henry argued.

“What?” And they were in line. Henry doesn’t remember how he got there, but he is sure that the soles of his shoes are ruined from dragging them in protest. “It’s not even like you have to walk through it, it’s a ride, like the tunnel of love, but scarier.”

“The tunnel of love is scary as it is,” Ted laughed, and they argued a little longer before it was their turn. Ted was right, it was literally the Halloween version of the tunnel of love. It was a one-seater you were supposed to squeeze two people into.

Ted slid in first Henry following shortly after, no time for hesitation because of the fast pace these teens wanted to get the job done at.

“This is nice,” Ted said.

“It’s really not,” Henry replied without a second in between.

“Come on, professor, lighten- - Ahh,” Ted screamed at the skeleton that jumped out at him and hid his head in the crook of Henry’s neck. Henry just laughed.

“You’re right Ted, this is nice,” Another jump scare enticed more screams from Ted and more laughs from Henry. Ted was wrinkling his nice turtle neck with his fists but Henry didn’t care, he just slid his arm around him and pulled him close, not knowing how much he loved this feeling of being held, even if it is by a scaredy-cat.

“Shut up Henry,” Another scream.

“Let’s do it again,” Henry said when they broke into the night.

“Absolutely not,” Ted had a look of shame across his face, but he was trying to hide it.

“But your screams were so cute,”

“Wow, not how I’d thought I’d be hearing those words.” Henry just rolled his eyes. Usually, he would be embarrassed and flustered, but after seeing Ted in the haunted house, nothing could bring him back, and he thought it was cute how hard he was trying.

“What’s next?” Henry asked.

“The roller coaster, or the sad excuse for one, that it,” Ted walked ahead of Henry, still slightly mad at him, but Henry could see the blush across the back of his neck.

“I don’t know about this. Every other ride I was iffy about, but this one is going fast and doesn’t look safe. I mean, who puts this shit together, it doesn’t look safe.”

“That’s half the fun,”

“You keep saying that,”

They did ride the roller coast, no matter how terrified Henry was that it was going to fall apart at any second. Ted held Henry’s hand the entire time to try and get him to calm down. The second the ride started, though, Henry squeezed tight enough to break his hand, but Ted had a good time despite.

“I need a break,” Henry could barely walk straight, which worried Ted, maybe he should have taken his nervousness more seriously, but you never live if you don’t take chances.

“How about some games, that unicorn is still calling my name.”

“Keep dragging me on rides and it’ll be the only one tonight,” Ted was slightly taken aback. Henry just made a sexual innuendo and is acting like that didn’t even happen, just stumbling his way over to the ball toss game where the unicorn hangs. It both shocked and turned Ted on that he was rubbing off on Henry.

"What about bumper cars," Ted suggested. Henry nodded his head in excitement. 

"I'm gonna kick your ass, Ted."

"You're on Henry." The two ignored everyone else around them, not that there were many people, and only went after each other. They collided numerous times, switching back and forth between Henry chasing Ted to Ted chasing Henry. It was the most either of them had in a while. 

"Okay, now the unicorn," Ted begged once they were practically thrown out of the ride. 

"Now the unicorn," 

The gray-haired beauty handed five dollars to the guy who in return gave him four balls. Ted walked up next to him and placed a lower hand on his back, for support, but after he did it, he realized that it might distract him. He kept his hand there anyways, liking the feel of Henry’s muscles moving under his hand.

Henry stood there for a second, calculating the angle he should throw the ball at to get them all to fall. No doubt that this is ridged some way, he needed to take all the factors into consideration. After a moment, he tossed the ball and hit all six milk cans clean off the plate. The worker just stared at him for a second in disbelief before walking over and setting them up again, only for Henry to do the same exact thing.

The unicorn was a big prize, so he had to get all the bottles off of the plate three times to win the thing, and that was his plan. Even if he missed once, he would still have another shot.

One that he didn’t need.

The second the unicorn was handed to Ted, he held it tight before kissing Hidgens on the cheek. They moved over for the next customer to shoot their shot as Henry came back from the kiss. It was only on his cheek, he needed to get himself together.

“How did you do that?” Ted mused.

“Simple, I knew that they were going to be stuck to the plate, so if you hit them at just the right angle, they would all come toppling down and onto the floor.”

“You say that like it was simple logic,”

“Is it not?” Ted laughed and bumped into him on purpose as they headed towards the Merry-Go-Round.

Ted handed off the unicorn, which he has yet to name, to Henry while he mounted the horse, only to grab it right back from him. Henry got up onto the horse next to Ted with such grace that Ted could not look away. It’s not fair for somebody to be able to move like that and not be able to stare. But Ted doesn’t care, he’s going to stare, he has no shame.

The wheel went round and round with Ted acting like an idiot riding into battle on his ‘mighty stallion’. Henry just laughed and called him stupid.

After that, they headed over to the Ferris wheel. It was beautifully lit up as the centerpiece of the whole thing, changing colors to catch attention and get people on it, hence the long line. By now, it was way past dark out, they would be able to see the stars if there wasn’t so much light around them, and the park was coming to a close soon. This was the last thing on Ted’s list, which he was shocked to have gotten through, and he was actually nervous to see what would happen.

Ted knows it’s cliché to have a first kiss on the top of the Ferris wheel, but it’s also been a long time since he’s had a date like this, and he doesn’t want Henry to slip through his fingers because he was too scared to take the next steps.

Finally, after half an hour of waiting, they made their way into the cart. It was closed in, which was weird for a traveling fair, but it gave more privacy to them without people intruding in on them. Ted has kind of made a name for himself, even if it’s just around his group of people that he knows and he doesn’t want people to see Henry and him hanging out and think they know what’s going on between the two of them, because they don’t, because Ted wants this to last. No matter how much that scares him, it’s true.

They looked out the window past the park, past the town, and over the ocean that surrounds the island.

“It’s a gorgeous view,” Ted breathed.

“It really is,” Henry said looking out the window.

“If I turn back and see you looking at me, you’re going to get punched,” Henry just laughed, and Ted turned his head only to make eye contact with those beautiful grey eyes that could hold him in a trance. “Well, I warned you,” Ted leaned forward and gently placed his lips on Henry’s.

The other man was shocked for a second, which scared Ted because what if he rejected him, but ever so slowly their lips started to move together. They had to pull away because the ride was only so long, but a blush lingered on their cheeks and smiles on both their faces.

“I can’t believe how much of a basic bitch you are,” Ted laughed as they walked down the sidewalk outside the field where the park was.

“I am? You are the one who kissed me,” Henry argued.

“I’m not the one who was staring,”

“I was looking out the window until you talked, it was just bad timing,”

“Or good timing, whatever way you want to look at it.” Ted reached for his hand, still holding the unicorn in the other. “You’re still a basic bitch, I mean, you won me a stuffed animal.”

“And I can take the stuffed animal away,” Henry threatened.

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“Try me,” They were at Henry's car, not that Ted knew that. Henry pushed him up against the car, unicorn in between them and lips connecting them.

“Why, Henry Hidgens,” Ted said when they pulled away to catch their breath, “I do believe I’m rubbing off on you,”

“No, you’re just rubbing up against me, I’ve come more out of my shell.” Henry huffed. “My place?”

“Please.”

* * *

 

They walked into the coffee shop, Henry in his usual turtle neck, but Ted in a white button-up and pants that were clearly not his.

“Nice limp, Porker,”

“Fuck you, Emma,”

“ Wait,I’m sorry," Henry paused, deliberating on what just came out of the small girl's mouth, "Did you just say Porker?” Henry was stopped in his steps. “Your last name is Porker?”

“No,”

“Yes,” Emma said laughing. “And don’t think I didn’t notice your limp too.”

“Emma, I am your professor,” Henry sputtered.

“Yes, and apparently Ted is a vacuum, Jesus Christ, that’s a huge hickey. What, did you think the turtle neck would cover it because it does not.”

“You wanna grab Starbucks?” Ted asked, before turning around and walking.

“Definitely,” Henry followed.

They passed Paul on the way down the street, and Ted said something along the lines of ‘fuck you and your evil girlfriend.’ Henry just laughed at Paul’s confused face as Ted didn’t even pay him another second. Henry figured it would work itself out when they saw each other at work, but he can’t see Ted wanting to explain it. Luckily, Emma will probably cover that.

Henry, for the first time in his life, didn’t care what anyone thought. He liked Ted, Ted liked him and there’s proof. Quite frankly, after how Emma talked about him, he was half expecting to wake up to an empty bed and never see the man again. He was pleasantly surprised, however, to feel the heat of him on his back, arms around Henry, pulling them flush together. He loved the feeling and did not want to get out of bed this morning, but Ted had a job, and so did Henry, though not until the afternoon but he could get some research in. Henry’s not so sure how it went so fast, but good God, he’s glad it did.

“Why didn’t you tell me your last name was Porker?”

“Because I hate it,”

**Author's Note:**

> Cliche and hopefully cute. I'm not that good at fluff, I don't think, and I couldn't really hear their voices well when I was writing this so it doesn't sound like them, but I felt this tag needed a coffee shop AU, so here it is. Even though it kind of sucks and barely takes place in a coffee shop.


End file.
